The School of Play Curriculum
Primary School Grade 3 & 4
Week Eighteen blends creativity, laughter, teamwork, self-reflection, and gratitude into a fun and meaningful series of activities. Students begin by tapping into their imagination and humour during Drawing Animals on Your Head, an activity that breaks down barriers, encourages risk-taking, and helps everyone feel comfortable expressing themselves. This playful creativity sets the tone for deeper reflection, as Friendship Recipe invites students to consider the qualities that strengthen relationships. Through identifying “ingredients” of a great friend and exploring how these qualities appear in their own lives, students build empathy, self-awareness, and social confidence.
The week continues with an energising mix of movement and collaboration through Double Dice Movement, where students combine strategic thinking with physical challenges to stay active, motivated, and supportive of their peers. Finally, This or That Gratitude provides space for mindfulness and meaningful connection, as students reflect on what they’re thankful for and share their insights with others. Together, these activities create a warm, inclusive environment where creativity, emotional growth, and physical engagement come together to strengthen friendships, build resilience, and foster a positive, connected classroom culture.
Weekly Lessons
Drawing Animals on Your Head
Drawing Animals on Your Head is a wonderfully silly and creative icebreaker that instantly brings laughter into any room. With a piece of paper balanced on their head, participants attempt to draw their favourite animal, without looking! The joy of the activity comes not from artistic skill, but from the unpredictable, wobbly drawings that emerge. This creates a relaxed, playful atmosphere where perfection doesn’t matter, and everyone feels comfortable letting their guard down.
Once the drawings are revealed, the fun continues as the group guesses which animal each person attempted to create. The humorous guesses spark conversation, build connection, and help participants get to know one another in a light-hearted way. Drawing Animals on Your Head is simple, joyful, and an instant mood-booster, perfect for warming up a group, breaking the ice, and creating a space where creativity and laughter bring everyone together.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Drawing Animals on Your Head supports students to:
- Practise active listening as they pay close attention to each participant’s explanation, guesses, and reactions during the big reveal.
- Express themselves respectfully by sharing guesses, humour, and comments in a kind, inclusive way that makes everyone feel comfortable and supported.
- Understand different viewpoints by appreciating the creative efforts of others, recognising that everyone draws differently and interpreting each drawing with empathy and humour.
Cooperation and Social Skills
Drawing Animals on Your Head helps students to:
- Work as a group by taking turns, listening to others' guesses, and ensuring everyone has a chance to share their drawing.
- Show fairness and kindness by celebrating each person’s creativity, laughing with others, not at them, and offering encouraging and positive feedback.
- Show appreciation by acknowledging the creativity, bravery, and humour in others’ drawings, building confidence and strengthening group connection.
Safety and Acceptance
Drawing Animals on Your Head encourages students to:
- Ensure others feel safe by creating a non-judgmental environment where the focus is on fun, not quality of drawing or skill level.
- Accept others as they are by embracing the wide range of drawing abilities, celebrating differences, and understanding that everyone expresses creativity uniquely.
- Promote equality as every participant completes the same fun task, experiences the same challenge, and has an equal chance to share, laugh, and contribute to the group.
Friendship Recipe
Friendship Recipe is a warm, reflective activity that invites students to explore what truly makes a great friend. By turning friendship qualities into “ingredients” and daily actions into “directions,” students get to create their own unique friendship recipe. This creative process encourages them to identify the traits they value most, kindness, honesty, humour, patience, empathy, and think deeply about what makes relationships meaningful. The activity opens up conversations about what it feels like to be supported, how we show care, and the little everyday moments that strengthen friendships.
As students share their recipes, they begin to understand that friendships grow through consistent, thoughtful actions. This activity allows them to see how they can practice friendship intentionally, through listening, including others, celebrating wins, and offering help during tough moments. Friendship Recipe not only sparks creativity but also builds self-awareness, empathy, and a sense of belonging, making it a beautiful way to nurture positive relationships in any classroom or group setting.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Friendship Recipe supports students to:
- Practise active listening by reflecting on what makes a good friend and listening to the qualities others share during the recipe activity.
- Express themselves respectfully by communicating their ideas about friendship through creative ingredients and directions, sharing these in a positive, kind way.
- Understand different viewpoints by considering the diverse ideas of classmates about what makes a good friend, recognising that everyone values different qualities and showing empathy toward those perspectives.
Cooperation and Social Skills
Friendship Recipe helps students to:
- Work collaboratively when sharing recipes with a partner or small group, listening to each other’s ideas, and celebrating the similarities and differences in their friendship values.
- Show fairness and kindness through thoughtful discussions about friendship qualities, acknowledging each other’s ideas, and offering positive feedback.
- Show appreciation by recognising and affirming the positive traits that classmates identify in friends, strengthening social bonds and group cohesion.
Safety and Acceptance
Friendship Recipe encourages students to:
- Ensure others feel safe by creating a supportive space where everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas without judgment.
- Accept others as they are by embracing the unique qualities students value in friendships, understanding that everyone builds friendships differently.
- Promote equality by giving every student an equal opportunity to contribute, share their recipe, and feel valued within the group, regardless of personality, confidence, or social group.
Double Dice Movement
Double Dice Movement is a fast-paced, high-energy fitness game that blends physical exercise with strategy, teamwork, and a dash of luck. Players race back and forth between the dice station and the activity board, rolling to reveal which category and specific exercise they must complete. Because the dice determine everything, from core to upper body to cardio, every round brings a new challenge, keeping players alert, active, and fully engaged. The game encourages players to push themselves physically while adapting to unexpected outcomes, helping them build stamina, strength, and resilience along the way.
Working in pairs or small teams, players support each other to complete exercises, set a strong pace, and earn as many points as possible before the timer runs out. The collaborative element ensures that everyone feels part of a shared mission, boosting motivation and creating a lively, competitive atmosphere. With its blend of movement, teamwork, and unpredictable dice rolls, Double Dice Movement transforms a simple fitness challenge into a fun, dynamic game that builds confidence, connection, and physical well-being.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
Double Dice Movement supports students to:
- Practise active listening by paying attention to their teammates' instructions, the exercise categories, and the results of each dice roll so everyone can stay coordinated.
- Express themselves respectfully when discussing strategy, encouraging teammates, and communicating which exercises need to be completed.
- Understand different viewpoints by considering teammates’ ideas about pacing, difficulty levels, and exercise choices, appreciating that everyone has different strengths and ways of contributing.
Cooperation and Social Skills
Double Dice Movement helps students to:
- Work collaboratively by taking turns rolling, completing exercises together, and supporting each other to complete rounds efficiently.
- Show fairness and kindness by sharing responsibilities, celebrating each player’s effort, and supporting teammates who may find certain exercises challenging.
- Show appreciation by giving positive feedback when teammates complete rounds, encouraging effort, and acknowledging persistence through the game.
Safety and Acceptance
Double Dice Movement encourages students to:
- Ensure others feel safe by moving responsibly around the fitness space, using safe exercise technique, and respecting personal space during high-energy movements.
- Accept others as they are by appreciating that teammates have different fitness abilities, speeds, and comfort levels, and valuing everyone’s effort equally.
- Promote equality as all team members participate in the same structure, take equal turns, and have the same opportunity to earn points regardless of skill or physical ability.
This or That Gratitude
This or That Gratitude is a simple yet powerful reflection game that gets players thinking deeply about the people, places, and moments they appreciate. By choosing between two gratitude-focused options each round, participants are encouraged to slow down, reflect, and connect their choices to meaningful experiences in their own lives. The movement element, physically choosing a side of the room, adds energy and engagement, creating a dynamic way for players to express what matters most to them.
Once players group with others who made the same choice, the game naturally sparks conversation, empathy, and shared understanding. As participants explain why they selected a particular option, they build connection through shared values, unique stories, and personal insights. This or That Gratitude turns simple choices into powerful micro-moments of reflection, helping groups foster gratitude, strengthen relationships, and create a warm, positive atmosphere together.
Download the This or That game cards HERE.
Respectful Relationships
Communication and Empathy
This or That Gratitude supports students to:
- Practise active listening as they hear others explain their gratitude choices, showing understanding through attention and positive body language.
- Express themselves respectfully by sharing the reasons behind their selections in a calm, thoughtful, and encouraging way.
- Understand different viewpoints by recognising that classmates may be grateful for different people, places, or experiences, and responding with empathy and appreciation.
Cooperation and Social Skills
This or That Gratitude helps students to:
- Work collaboratively by gathering in groups based on their choices and engaging in reflective conversations that build trust and connection.
- Show fairness and kindness by respecting all opinions, ensuring everyone has an opportunity to speak, and celebrating the diverse gratitude experiences shared.
- Show appreciation by acknowledging classmates’ reflections with positive comments, encouragement, or gratitude for their openness.
Safety and Acceptance
This or That Gratitude encourages students to:
- Ensure others feel safe by contributing to a positive, low-pressure sharing environment where peers feel comfortable expressing personal reflections.
- Accept others as they are by valuing different gratitude choices and recognising that each person’s life experiences influence what they appreciate.
- Promote equality as every student has the same chance to choose, move, share, and reflect regardless of background, confidence level, or communication style.
.avif)
